The Judge
Page 39
It took me a second to shift gears—I was expecting an argument, not capitulation. “Seriously?”
“On one condition.”
“Anything,” I said quickly. Maybe too quickly.
Masterson leaned forward, creating that hulking presence that intimidated defense attorneys. The look didn’t bother me; I knew he was just a big teddy bear.
“I’m calling the shots,” he said. “I’ll ask for your input, but at the end of the day, I’m making all the strategic decisions. If we go to trial, you’ll get to take a few witnesses and maybe even do the opening. Heck, I might have you try the whole case. But when it comes to whether we charge him and if so, what we charge him with—that’s all up to me.”
Masterson studied me for a moment and I knew I had no room to negotiate.
“Understood?”
“Anything you say, boss.”
On the way home, I called Regina. “He didn’t even put up a fight,” I said excitedly. “He said I could ride second chair as long as he controlled the strategy.”
There was silence on the other end as Regina processed the information. “I was afraid of that,” she eventually said.
“Huh?”
“The boss could be planning on either not charging Tate or negotiating a quick plea. He knows that if he has you involved, the press will have a harder time attacking him for being soft because they know how much you hate Tate. You’re his buffer, Jamie. Blunt any criticism in the midst of an election campaign.”
I hadn’t even thought of that. And for a moment I wondered if I would ever be half the lawyer my mentor was. Or Masterson either, for that matter.
“But the autopsy’s not even done yet.”
“When’s the last time the boss reacted instead of being proactive?”
Regina had a point.
“So you’re saying I shouldn’t take it?”
“No; he wants you involved,” Regina said. “And you know Bill. If he believes Tate poisoned his wife, he’ll charge hell with a water pistol to convict him. He’s just making sure he’s covered if he decides to pull the plug.”
“Nice to know I’m valued,” I said.
My spirits lifted when I walked in the front door of my house and was greeted like a rock star by my black Lab. We wrestled for a while on the floor and played tug-of-war with some well-worn interconnected rubber rings. He growled like a he-man and jerked his strong neck muscles back and forth to pull the toy out of my hands. I growled back and then loved on him and fixed him dinner. He’d been cooped up in the house for more than twelve hours and was starved for attention.
“It was a good day for the good guys,” I said to Justice. He looked up at me with those adoring brown puppy-dog eyes and tilted his head to the side.
“We’re going to get this guy,” I promised him.
About the Author
Randy Singer is a critically acclaimed author and veteran trial attorney. He has penned eleven legal thrillers and was recently a finalist with John Grisham and Michael Connelly for the inaugural Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction sponsored by the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal. Randy runs his own law practice and has been named to Virginia Business magazine’s select list of “Legal Elite” litigation attorneys. In addition to his law practice and writing, Randy serves as a teaching pastor for Trinity Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He calls it his “Jekyll and Hyde thing”—part lawyer, part pastor. He also teaches classes in advocacy and civil litigation at Regent Law School and, through his church, is involved with ministry opportunities in India. He and his wife, Rhonda, live in Virginia Beach. They have two grown children. Visit his website at www.randysinger.net.
Fiction
Directed Verdict
Irreparable Harm
Dying Declaration
Self Incrimination
The Judge Who Stole Christmas
The Judge
previously published as The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney
False Witness
By Reason of Insanity
The Justice Game
Fatal Convictions
The Last Plea Bargain
Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales
The Advocate
Nonfiction
Live Your Passion, Tell Your Story, Change Your World
Made to Count
www.randysinger.net
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